Walking on the Wild Side

No, I am not wearing chains.

The word wild refers to animals, as in wildlife.

Such as lions, and tigers, and bears, oh my.

But, unfortunately, or rather fortunately, I did not see any lions, or tigers, or bears during our recent trip to Kenting. But, we did see some wildlife.

Two of our encounters took place while riding in the van.

Spider.

Spider plus car.

Big spider plus driver's side of van.

Inside the van.

We had just left the beach. The sun had just sunk below the horizon and darkness was quickly coming on. To cool the interior of the car, Carl had rolled the windows down a few inches. This was just enough room for a stowaway to make its move. It climbed up the outside of the window, in through the opening, and down the other side. This is where Carl, the unfortunate driver, first saw our visitor. Before action could be taken, the spider continued down the door, much to the dismay of Carl, who was now unable to see where the spider had gone. Driving on a busy road, as well as keeping your legs far away from the door is quite a talent!

Luckily, a parking lot was sighted before the spider could make another move. Nick snapped this picture before our friend was released back into the wild.

That guy was BIG!

Our next two wild encounters occurred the following day. 

  

Water buffalo!

Fortunately, these were seen from a distance. 

We saw the last animal from a closer distance. And while it wasn't trying to climb into our van, it almost became part of the van.

Luckily, Carl saw the Taiwanese deer just before it darted across the road. I only saw its behind as it slipped into the thick vegetation. Now for our Ohio friends, almost hitting a deer is no big deal, but actually seeing a deer in Taiwan is kinda rare. Our friends, in the car ahead of us, have lived in Taiwan for over twenty years and this was the first they have seen.

I have heard deer were in Taiwan, but never expected to see one. There is more of a likelihood of seeing a monkey!

Or a snake.....